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Dems tell members to hold local pressers on sequester

House Democratic leaders are urging their rank-and-file members to use next week’s recess to hold press conferences and other events humanizing the negative effects of sequestration alongside senior citizens, small business owners, police officers and teachers.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office sent members back to their districts Friday, armed with a two-page memo suggesting a variety of press conference and roundtable location ideas to help demonstrate what might happen if Congress can’t reach a deal by the March 1 deadline and the automatic spending cuts go into effect.

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Members are being urged to meet with college academics, special education teachers, mental health professionals, medical researchers and food safety advocates. “Invite the press,” Pelosi’s office said in the memo obtained by POLITICO.

Democrats also got a one-page set of talking points, urging them to slam Republicans for being “irresponsible” for not reaching an agreement on the spending cuts before the Presidents Day recess, as well as a state-by-state breakdown of potential job losses from sequestration.

House Republicans have a similar PR strategy for the recess to talk about the spending cuts on a local level, said Riva Litman, a spokeswoman for the House GOP Conference.

“Just like any district work period, our members will be taking a big national message [this time sequestration] and making it relevant to their local districts by hosting town halls, business roundtables, TV/radio interviews, etc.,” she said in an email.